I thought the SK thread was getting out of hand and the subject had really changed into a debate on strength of schedule issues.

 

So, do you really think Grant County would benefit by playing Trinity? Does getting pounded by a superpower really help your program that is in a developmental state?

No it does not

My view is that getting blown out depresses the fan base and negatively influences participation in the program by the student body. Once you have success, and can SUSTAIN it, then by all means beef up the schedule.

I was responding to a specific scenario given to me when I made the comment about Grant Cty and Trinity. I do believe there are lessons to be learned and improvements that can be made in matchups like that one. If you ask me is it good for either program, my answer would be no.

 

Change the teams because that's not a good example. How about Simon Kenton and Bowling Green? Up and coming 6A versus 5A powerhouse. Or Simon Kenton -vs- Male? I'm sure a SK poster will point towards the Collins game as playing a good team, but the jury is still out on Collins. Can they repeat their success or were they a one year wonder?

 

Wouldn't SK benefit from playing BG or Male?

I was responding to a specific scenario given to me when I made the comment about Grant Cty and Trinity. I do believe there are lessons to be learned and improvements that can be made in matchups like that one. If you ask me is it good for either program, my answer would be no.

 

Change the teams because that's not a good example. How about Simon Kenton and Bowling Green? Up and coming 6A versus 5A powerhouse. Or Simon Kenton -vs- Male? I'm sure a SK poster will point towards the Collins game as playing a good team, but the jury is still out on Collins. Can they repeat their success or were they a one year wonder?

 

Wouldn't SK benefit from playing BG or Male?

 

SK still needs to demonstrate that they can sustain success through class graduations. This dd not happen in 2011. If this years team can win 8 - 10 games, then I would say the program has arrived. I would expect Male to be as dominant in 6A this year as Trinity is most years. SK should play Cov, Cath, Lex Cath, Male, Ballard etc. At least one of those teams in the predistrict schedule.

 

There is another aspect of SOS that I have not seen mentioned. It relates to the value of highlight tape for those that have next level ambitions. Highlight tape against Holy Cross is just not that valuable. However, the tape against X where my kid got to go up against an SEC commit was very valuable.

Strength of schedule is always important in my mind. Growing up and playing hs football in Ohio you had to have a solid-strong strength of schedule otherwise you risked not making the playoffs considering the harbin point system which is still used today. The goal was to beat good opponents who had strong schedules who won games as well.

 

Yes there are complete mismatches, which result in 50+ blowouts. But tell me this, how does being on the receiving end of a blowout not challenge a kid to want to get better. Whether our hs team won by 49 or lost by 56 if an opponent uncovered a weakness in my game I wanted to work that much harder to get better and turn that weakness into a strength.

 

Now if Johnny is hearing it's ok, atta boy that team was just too much and that's going to happen in life. I think that's a copout. Johnny needs to learn from what he had the ability to control on that play, series, etc….and challenge himself to get better. Sure Johnny doesn't have control of the action of his ten other teammates on the field of play. But he can set a good example, by learning from his mistakes, not repeating them, learn new technique/solution and apply it for the next game.

 

Just because a team may consistently get beat badly by other schools doesn't mean a group of players aren't getting better as a result. I worked hard to get better regardless of our record, success, strength of schedule because my parents worked hard and instilled that work ethic in me. Sometimes the victories occur, in spite of defeat, off the field based on good mentors, teachers, parents who think big picture ( game of life ) who capture good teaching moments and prepare their kids for long term success. Call me an optimist, but that's my angle and I'm sticking to it! :thumb:

SK scrimmages ST X. every year.

The most overused comment made/ believed about what it takes to be successful.

 

80% or more of the schools in the state have never won a title and aren't ever going to. Play a schedule you can compete in/ with flip of the coin chances of winning each year...a couple "gimmes" if you can (Bama does it, and other colleges, why can't so and so county hs in KY?) and MAYBE one or two "challenges if they aren't already in your district.

 

Winning builds. Going 4-6, but "we played a very tough schedule" doesn't. Nobody cares about that.

SK scrimmages ST X. every year.

 

Man up and play them when it counts. :lol2:

The most overused comment made/ believed about what it takes to be successful.

 

80% or more of the schools in the state have never won a title and aren't ever going to. Play a schedule you can compete in/ with flip of the coin chances of winning each year...a couple "gimmes" if you can (Bama does it, and other colleges, why can't so and so county hs in KY?) and MAYBE one or two "challenges if they aren't already in your district.

 

Winning builds. Going 4-6, but "we played a very tough schedule" doesn't. Nobody cares about that.

 

I couldn't agree more. Play your district games, play 1-2 easier games and the rest toss ups. Nobody wants to here how much better they got by going 3-7 but playing a tough schedule and getting your brains beat in 3 or 4 times or more a year does nothing for anybody. Put your teams in a position where they have a chance to be successful. It keeps your community energized and supportive of the team, and keeps kids in the program. And every so often you'll get a really strong group and maybe make a nice run or even contend for a title. I

Man up and play them when it counts. :lol2:

 

They do in the playoffs usually.

I couldn't agree more. Play your district games, play 1-2 easier games and the rest toss ups. Nobody wants to here how much better they got by going 3-7 but playing a tough schedule and getting your brains beat in 3 or 4 times or more a year does nothing for anybody. Put your teams in a position where they have a chance to be successful. It keeps your community energized and supportive of the team, and keeps kids in the program. And every so often you'll get a really strong group and maybe make a nice run or even contend for a title. I

 

Would love to have the other thread's posts moved to this one rather than re-create the wheel.

 

It was my understanding that discussion was aimed more at talented teams that wanted to improve themselves. Those are the candidates for improvement in my mind. I agree that a team getting it's brains beat out by 40 or 50 points over and over isn't doing anyone any good.

Hasn't CovCath played a 1A team for the past 20 plus years?

Would love to have the other thread's posts moved to this one rather than re-create the wheel.

 

It was my understanding that discussion was aimed more at talented teams that wanted to improve themselves. Those are the candidates for improvement in my mind. I agree that a team getting it's brains beat out by 40 or 50 points over and over isn't doing anyone any good.

 

Yes, the more talented the team, the tougher schedule you can play, especially if you have the talent year in and year. Many schools however do not, and even when they do, they are often just an injury or two from being a lot less talented. Keep your schedule manageable. Someone on the other thread I believe felt that Grant County (or any other struggling program) would actually get something out of playing Trinity.

I was responding to a specific scenario given to me when I made the comment about Grant Cty and Trinity. I do believe there are lessons to be learned and improvements that can be made in matchups like that one. If you ask me is it good for either program, my answer would be no.

 

Change the teams because that's not a good example. How about Simon Kenton and Bowling Green? Up and coming 6A versus 5A powerhouse. Or Simon Kenton -vs- Male? I'm sure a SK poster will point towards the Collins game as playing a good team, but the jury is still out on Collins. Can they repeat their success or were they a one year wonder?

 

Wouldn't SK benefit from playing BG or Male?

 

 

What does it matter if Collins was a one year wonder, they were a good team when they played SK. Now if you are talking about this year, you are right who knows, but that goes for almost all teams.